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June 10, 2006 
The investigation into the alleged massacres that occurred both in Haditha, Iraq in November 2005, and Hamdaniya, Iraq in April 2006 undoubtedly have a long way to go. In the last week some of the Marines alleged to have taken part in the Hamdaniya incident have been placed in shackles at Camp Pendleton with more restrictions placed on them than the inmates at Guantanamo. Others have been referred to by US Congressmen as cold blooded murderers, despite the fact no charges have yet been filed.
This week, more praise and attention were heaped on Ehren Watada –an Army deserter– than those who answer the nation’s call of duty. The Congressional Black Caucus spoke out publicly in support of the principle of the presumption of innocence in regards to fellow Congressman William Jefferson (D-LA), who is accused of bribery, but they remain silent on the presumed innocence of Marines accused of heinous crimes. Their silence speaks volumes.
While Marines, such as Ryan Cummings, 22, from Streamwood Ill., or Mark Smykowski, 23, of Mentor, Oh., continue to die in combat because their enemy uses the the laws of war and the Geneva Conventions to wipe their behinds, others are tossed in the brig without being formally charged.
The enemy has declared war on the US Marines on two fronts, the military as well as the political. With the help of the media, many politicians and the invertebrate Marine Corps leadership, the enemy may win.
This whole episode is a stunning abdication of professional responsibility on the part of a whole lot of people, from President Bush, to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace all the way down the chain of command.
Rather than issue no comment until all of the facts were known or urging restraint and the presumption of innocence, they are still issuing the same tired talking points that anyone who did anything wrong will be punished. I guess because of political pressure, they have to say something.
Now, all Marines are undergoing “Core Values Training” and are being told by General Pace, as he did so in Singapore on June 4th, 2006 to “revisit themselves to see where they are on their moral compass”.
It seems kind of insane to me;
Sending them over there to “kill or capture” the enemy, then tossing them in the brig without charges on evidence consisting entirely of verbal testimony. The allegations may even be false. As Americans, we have a responsibility to assume they are innocent.
Instead of being in Singapore to deliver what sounded eerily like a future campaign speech, General Pace should have flown out to Camp Pendleton to order those men released from the brig until such time as charges were filed and made sure their well-being was looked after.
While these men are in the Brig, Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada is giving press conferences to try and explain his refusal to deploy to Iraq even though he enlisted just prior to the invasion during the buildup. Millions of veterans received orders to deploy, from World War I to Iraqi Freedom. Some will never be the same. Some will never come home. Some bled. Some lost limbs and eyes and friends. The point is, we went and did our duty. We didn’t ask why.
The investigations continue. The allegations of massacres and war crimes may turn out to be true. Only time and the uncovering of all the facts will tell. The sad commentary on all of this is the deafening silence on behalf of these men. They deserve at a minimum, the same rights we extend to accused murderers.
